


the difference between the love of your life and your soulmate (maybe we're from the same star)

by MadHare0512



Series: Author's Favorites [28]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV), S.W.A.T. (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Author's Favorite, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Platonic Soulmates, Soulmarks, The Author Regrets Nothing, Tsunami (9-1-1 TV), Worried 20 Squad, Worried Firehouse 118 Crew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:07:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28300608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadHare0512/pseuds/MadHare0512
Summary: Street hadn't planned on going to the pier, that's just where he ended up before his shift. He was the last one pulled out of the water before the man with the blue eyes was looking around and shouting, "Christopher! Christopher!"(Prompt request from a friend.)
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Firehouse 118 Crew, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Jim Street, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Jim Street, Jim Street & 20 Squad
Series: Author's Favorites [28]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1529300
Kudos: 163
Collections: 9-1-1 Tales





	the difference between the love of your life and your soulmate (maybe we're from the same star)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [immajustgonnafangirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/immajustgonnafangirl/gifts).



> I want to mention here that this was a request. I loved writing this and I hope you enjoy it!

the difference between the love of your life and your soulmate (maybe we're from the same star)

By: AndiKaneUnderwood

**AU: Soulmate - First Words**

_"What's the difference?" I asked him. "Between the love of your life, and your soulmate?"_   
_"One is a choice, and one is not."_   
_~Tarryn Fisher, Mud Vein_

_"I feel like a part of my soul has loved you since the beginning of everything._ _Maybe we're from the same star."  
_ _~Emery Allen_

Street hadn't planned on going to the pier, that's just where he ended up before his shift. When the blue-eyed man pulled him onto the firetruck, he was so grateful to be alive, he forgot to thank him before he collapsed against the floor panting from overexertion. He was _very_ happy it was his phone he'd lost and not his life. He was the last one pulled out of the water before the man with the blue eyes was looking around and shouting, "Christopher! Christopher!"

The man looked hesitant, glancing between the people and the receding waves still churning below. Street made a decision, took a breath, and nodded. "I've got them, go!" The man still looked torn, so Street continued, "My name is Jim Street, I'm a SWAT officer with the LAPD. _Trust_ me, I've got this."

The man finally nodded, then turned and dove into the murky water screaming for the boy who'd been with him in the truck. Street stayed with the group of people, watching debris and bodies float by them. He felt sick and the longer he stayed there, the more he thought that it was a high probability that the man and the boy were likely dead, dying, or about to die. With the tide rolling out, Street resigned himself that the man was more than likely one of the ones who perished in the tsunami.

After they finally got rescued, Street got himself checked out and stayed long enough to make sure everyone would be okay. Then he started walking towards SWAT HQ. It was late by the time he got there and Hondo was the first one to meet him.

"Street! Where have you been, kid? You're five hours late and the tsunami that hit the pier was all over the news. You should've gotten an alert on your phone. We've been trying to reach you, what happened?" Hondo asked when he caught sight of Street heading to the locker rooms.

"Well, my phone's currently somewhere on the pier and I was stuck on a firetruck for hours before I walked here. If you do find my phone somehow, let me know," Street replied.

"You-" Hondo paused. "You've been _where_?"

"I was at the pier when the tsunami hit, then I managed to find a firetruck to ride it out on, and once I made sure everyone with me was okay, I walked here," Street reiterated.

The rest of the team, who'd come over at that point, all let out collective cries of shock and began to (what Street affectionately liked to refer to as) 'mother hen' him. Luca led him off to sit on a bench while Hondo sent Deacon off to find some water and Chris ran her fingers gently through his still-damp hair. Tan briefly checked him over for injury, then pulled him in for a rare hug and Luca kept a hand on his shoulder.

Street offered the same empty protests he did every time they did this, but in the end, he let them worry as long as needed. He recounted how he came to be on top of the fire truck, how he'd stayed there for five minutes before the man had gone diving into the water in search of 'Christopher'. "I'm not sure if he made it or not," he told the others.

Hondo understood, knew the chances of survival were low. He nodded, "I understand, kid."

The others offered similar condolences, all having lost people either close to them or not, in natural disasters or to other factors. They stayed there with Street, assuring themselves that he was still there and let him rehydrate until they couldn't any longer. They headed him back into the changing rooms with Deacon to look after him while he got changed into the proper uniform for a night of stopping looters and other crimes while offering help to other first responders out.

Street couldn't wait.

_S.W.A.T.~9-1-1~S.W.A.T.~9-1-1_

Buck was exhausted by the time he finally found Christopher. When Bobby, Hen, and Chimney all flocked around him, he was so overwhelmed he couldn't answer any of their questions. He hardly had the energy to murmur, "Yeah, we're great," before he collapsed and began panting like he'd run a marathon on little to no sleep.

The frantic cries of his team didn't register to him. He didn't even realize he was sitting down when Bobby gasp.

Hen's eyes went wide when she glanced at Bobby, then again when she saw what he was looking at. "Oh, Buck," she whispered.

Even Chimney's smile was small and more shocked than happy, but there.

Buck panted for breath, exhaustion sweeping over him even as he looked up and asked, "What? What is it?"

"Buck, you're Soulmark," Bobby whispered.

Buck glanced at his arm, saw the words yelled to him by the officer on the firetruck wrapped around his bicep, just below his shoulder. " _I've got them, go!_ " Brown eyes and a determined face, hair flattened to his head from water. Buck nodded, then his eyes closed of their own accord. The last thing he heard was his family calling for him.

He was asleep before he could answer.

_S.W.A.T.~9-1-1~S.W.A.T.~9-1-1_

Street was finally finishing up his frankly _exhausting_ shift at work when the man from the firetruck walked in with the kid he'd been looking for. At first, Street had thought they were illusions created by sleep deprivation and stress. Then the man spoke, "I thought you'd want to know I saved him."

Street shook his head briefly, but the pair didn't disappear. Street broke out into a smile, trying to blink away the tears that suddenly welled up in his eyes. "That's great! Is this Christopher?" Street gestured down to the little boy, careful to avoid staring at the crutches.

"Yeah, this is Chris. Chris, you remember the guy from the firetruck?" the man leaned down to the boy.

The boy- Christopher- nodded, "You're a police officer, like Aunt Athena."

Street nodded, "Yeah. I'm a police officer. A very special kind of police officer." He had a thought. "You want a tour around this place? My shift ends in a bit, but I don't think anyone will mind." On Christopher's glance up at the man and the man's subsequent nod, he glanced over to find Luca and Tan. He walked over, "Would you guys care to take Christopher here on a tour of HQ?"

Luca nodded and Tan smiled, "Sure, Street. Come one, kid." Luca reached over and patted the kid's shoulder, "We'll show you the cool stuff first."

The man watched Chris walk off with Luca and Tan. He turned to Street and held out a hand, "I'm Evan Buckley. Call me Buck."

"James Street, but I guess if you found me you remember that?" Street chuckled.

Buck nodded, "Yeah, I did. Thanks for looking after those people."

Street shook his head, "No problem. I'm just glad you found the kid."

A gasp interrupted Buck's reply. Street whipped around and found Chris standing there with her hands covering her mouth. "Street, your neck!"

Street clapped a hand to the back of his neck with wide eyes, "What? What about it?"

"Your Soulmark, Street!" Chris replied excitedly. "It's there on the back of your neck."

"Oh," Street looked excited and slightly embarrassed, "What's it say?"

Chris came closer, Street felt her fingers brushing the back of his neck as she pulled aside the collar of his shirt and snapped a picture with her phone. She handed it off to him and while the resolution was crap, you could still clearly see what it was. They were black and curved, but still clearly there. _I thought you'd want to know I saved him._

Street looked up and met the man from the firetruck, meeting blue eyes with his own brown. "It's you," he breathed, turning the phone to show Buck the words the other man had just spoken.

Buck looked it over and smiled, "That makes sense." Then he was pulling up his sleeves to show Street the words he'd shouted on the firetruck.

Street was in shock for all of twenty seconds, unable to make himself move as he took in this information. Then he grinned and reached forward to pull Buck into a hug. "I'm so glad I found you," he whispered. Tears had started streaming down Street's face as it sunk in he'd found his Soulmate. He was nearly 28 now and he'd been worried he wouldn't find his Soulmate or that he didn't have one at all.

Buck held on to Street just as tight. He was just as relieved, just as happy to have found his Soulmate. Neither of them let go for a long time. Neither intended on it either. It wasn't until Christopher started calling for Buck that Buck even loosened his grip. Street wiped his tears away and smiled, "Let me give you my number. We can talk another time when I'm not exhausted."

"Sure," Buck nodded and they exchanged phone numbers. Buck pocketed his phone, looking at the man with the brown eyes. "I'll call you."

Street nodded, "I'll be waiting."

Buck turned to Christopher and squatted down, "Ready to head home?" Christopher nodded and Buck stood to head off. He glanced back at Street with a smile. He almost couldn't believe he missed the man already, but it came with the territory when Soulmates first met. Street smiled back and so Buck headed off, already making plans in his head to call Street. He couldn't wait for their next meeting.

Neither of them had planned on going to the pier, but it seemed to have been the best decision of their lives.


End file.
